They fought the war, and they won their peace. They are the self-proclaimed Children of The Atom. Mutants, still sworn to protect a world that fears and hates them, still trying to purge the world of deprivation through mass-integration. Friends have fallen, friends have returned and the world is different. The mission is still the same, but they're not the X-Men you knew, these are the X-Men you'll know.
The Young X-Men #1
All Grown Up, Part 1 – Heaven.
Rated M.
Page 1/
Panel 1/ Angled topographic view. The Jean Grey School. Parking lot’s empty. It’s early morning as the sun begins to rise. Curtains are all up.
CPT: The Jean Grey School For Higher Learning.
PRWOP: It was our first battle without the guidance of our elders. We fought.
PRWOP: And we won. The world knows who we are. We’ve established ourselves as the new Children of The Atom.
Panel 2/ Angled topographic view. Canadian Mountains.
CPT: Old Weapon X Facility on the outside, Xavier School on the inside.
PRWOP: Reports have it that Veronika offed herself and Kaga’s been detained in another Maximum Security Prison.
Panel 3/ Inside Xavier’s School. A lounge area. Cyclops is inside, wearing a black bathing robe, sipping on some coffee. Watching a recorded news report.
PRWOP: There were discoveries. And there were repercussions.
PRWOP: People we thought lost forever, returned. Some of us suffered almost irreparable damage.
FROM THE TV: -“We are the X-Men”. And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The X-Men. No longer do we have the former mastheads: Cyclops and Wolverine, headlining the ever-growing Mutantkind, these are heroes of a new generation.
Panel 4/ Cut to The Jean Grey School again. The Teacher’s Area. Ororo, Kitty and Rachel are inside. Rachel and Kitty seated at the table, Ororo standing up, leaning on the table. All are clothed in night-wear. Also watching the same news report.
FROM THE TV: --The next generation. A generation seemingly full of promise.
Panel 5/ Cut to Utopia. Emma’s inside her office, clothed in a white evening gown. Also drinking some coffee. Watching the same news report. Her hair’s tied back in a bun.
FROM THE TV: A generation that may well see to making the late Charles Xavier’s dream--a reality.
Page 2/
Panel 1/ Cut to Hope’s room. She’s lying on her bed. Looking up at the wall. Thinking.
CPT: Hope Summers. Mutant Messiah.
Panel 2/ Cut to Dust’s room. Kneeling down on the floor. Praying. Her bed has some packed luggage on it.
CPT: Sooraya Qadir. Dust.
DUST: Allabu Akbar. Allabu Akbar. Allabu Akbar.
*: Allah is the most great. Allah is the most great. Allah is the most great.
PRWOP: Most of us are still reeling from past events. However way we can. Contemplating the next steps we’ll take. But there’s still much in the here and now that we need to settle.
Panel 3/ Cut to the door of the med-room.
IRMA: So you’d actually prefer to be dead?
Panel 4/ Inside the med room. Phoebe, Celeste, Irma, Elixir and Prodigy gather around a surprised, and now awake, Laurie Collins.
LAURIE: Well, yeah. I’m sorry.
PRWOP: Josh managed to heal Noriko. She didn’t take anything well upon recovery. Still angst-ridden.
PRWOP: Before we had even gotten to Utopia, Laura was nowhere to be seen. Sofia had to go to work--explaining her absence to her boss and all.
Panel 5/ “Camera” focus on Laurie, miles away, it seems.
LAURIE: Josh…look, I know what happened between you and Kevin. The Necrosha. What Selene did. I saw. But I can’t do this.
PRWOP: I’m sure it wasn’t omission in that I didn’t let Hellion know about Sofia’s return…he’ll find out when he needs to.
PRWOP: Laurie Collins was one of my best friends. And then she was assassinated.
Panel 6/ “Camera” focus on Elixir, staring at her.
LAURIE: Josh?
LAURIE: Won’t you say anything? Please?
PHOEBE: Laurie--
PRWOP: I mean I can understand--or at least, try to understand where Josh is coming from.
Page 3/
Panel 1/ “Camera” focus on Laurie, again, shifting her concerned focus away from Josh. The sun light glistens in her eyes.
PHOEBE: Taking into consideration that this is a dispositional thing--and you’ve just been resurrected, you’ve every right to “stay dead”. But…do you mind saying why?
Panel 2/ Cut back to Laurie. Looking at them all. She doesn’t reply.
Panel 3/ She looks towards the windows, as the sun begins to rise higher.
LAURIE: Because I…
PWOP: He’s in shock. The love of his life’s come back from the dead, but she wants to go back. And if you truly love someone, or something…you let them go.
Panel 4/ She looks over to Josh, directing her following statement towards him adamantly.
LAURIE: I’m aware of what that man did to me. He used me. And here I am. But I can’t accept this. I can’t take back a life that was supposed to have run its course.
Panel 5/ Same shot.
LAURIE: God brought me here to do what I needed to do--I know he did because he…
Panel 6/ “Camera” focus on her lips as she speaks.
LAURIE: He told me.
Page 4/
Panel 1/ She continues to speak.
LAURIE: I can’t and won’t take this just because I’ve got the opportunity. I may sound mad, but it’s only an ideology you can only understand when you’re in the position. It’s not fair.
Panel 2/ Close up on Laurie.
LAURIE: There is beauty in life but there’s also beauty in death, too.
LAURIE: I don’t have much to say anymore.
Panel 3/ She looks at Josh again, and stands up.
LAURIE: I never did.
CELESTE: I can’t bloody believe this. If this were Esme, or Sophie, they’d have-
PHOEBE: Celeste.
PHOEBE: Laurie, are you sure?
Panel 4/ “Camera” focus on Laurie as she begins to contemplate the decision.
LAURIE: Well, there is one thing…
Panel 5/ Side view. Laurie quickly grabs a dopey Elixir by the hand, and walks towards the door. The Cuckoos and Prodigy watch on.
LAURIE: Josh, we’re going out. I’ve got one more day. And we need to talk.
PWOP: She’s a lot more confident and outspoken. I guess death can do that to a person.
Page 5/
Panel 1/ Cut back to Emma, still watching the news report.
EMMA: (Scott).
Panel 2/ A telepathic projection of Scott’s face appears before Emma. She gives him no eye-contact. Still watching the news report.
EMMA: Do you have anything to say?
SCOTT: What can I say, Emma?
EMMA: Not sure. But at least we know the franchise is in good hands. McCoy’s ex-girlfriend seems ever so sure about that.
Panel 3/ “Camera” focus on Scott.
EMMA: Faculty of the Jean Grey School scrutinize you for the apparent mistreatment these X-Men have faced. But I stood by your side.
EMMA: For quite some time.
SCOTT: Emma-
EMMA: We’ve tried to carry his dream, we went through the perilous trials and tribulations. You suffered the greatest loss of us all.
Panel 4/ “Camera” focus on Emma, sipping on her coffee.
EMMA: They’re well past the age you were when Charles found you.
EMMA: Utopia’s still an open haven for Mutants and it always will be for as long as I’m around. But our fight is over.
EMMA: Give up this Revolutionary Crusade, Scott.
Page 6/
Panel 1/ Cut to the Jean Grey School. The Teacher’s Lounge. Ororo, Kitty and Rachel are discussing, until the shadow of a female figure opens the door.
KITTY: I just hope they know what they’re-
VOICE: Headmistress Storm, Professor Kitty, Ms Grey--could we…
Panel 2/ “Camera” focus on Mercury, Armor and Anole, standing at door. Not in school uniform, but in casual clothing.
MECURY: …Could we have a word?
Panel 3/ “Camera” focus on Loa. Using her water manipulation abilities to surf the tides. Looking quite irritated.
CPT: Alani Ryan. Loa.
LWOP: Surfing. Lately, it feels like that’s all I’ve been doing. What am I doing here again?
LWOP: I love being a mutant, I appreciate these people. But so much has happened since the school. Nobody speaks to me that much. They never told me about the Sentinels or spoke to me since they got back.
Panel 4/ Side view. The tide raises, Loa uses her feet to firm her grip on it.
LWOP: What’s my purpose? What’s my big awakening?
LWOP: Or maybe I’m just-
Panel 5/ Close up on an astonished Loa as she notices something on the beach.
LOA: WHAT?!
Page 7/
Panel 1/ Cut to the beach. Laurie and Elixir are walking. Josh is looking sombrely towards the ground, Laurie’s just looking at him.
LAURIE: I do have questions, Josh. But I’m not in the position to ask them.
ELIXIR: Why?
LAURIE: You know me well enough.
ELIXIR: And I just don’t get it.
Panel 2/ “Camera” focus on Elixir as he begins to vent his feelings.
ELIXIR: Death and resurrection is a common thing in the life of an X-Man, yeah. But I love you, and you died, and I underwent some psychological and physiological changes…
Panel 3/ Across the beach, Loa slowly lands on ground. They do not notice her. She holds her right hand to her chest, in shock. Elixir and Laurie are still discussing.
ELIXIR: And now you’re back. But you’re opting to stay dead?
LAURIE: Is that too much to ask?
ELIXIR: No, but-
LAURIE: But nothing.
LAURIE: It’s a decision I’m expecting you respect because I know you, Josh. And I’ve seen what’s happened.
Panel 4/ They both pause. She smiles at him.
LAURIE: Alani’s a good girl. Let’s have this relationship not turn out the same way ours did, okay?
Panel 5/ Laurie notices a frozen Loa and gives her a friendly wave.
LAURIE: Oh, hi, Alani.
Panel 6/ Loa faints. Laurie stops waving. Both her and Elixir look on in confusion.
Page 8/
Panel 1/ Scene change. Cut to an open apartment balcony. Show the outline of a female, sitting on a chair, with her right leg on top of her left, making a phone call.
VOICE: June Covington.
JUNE: Yes.
JUNE: It’s about Kaga, he failed the operation. “X-Men” received and revived the body before we could get to the extraction point, while Kaga was conspicuouslyabsent.
Panel 2/ Slight zoom in. She continues to speak.
JUNE: Her life is still in our hands, whether she likes it or not. An invisible tracking device was installed into her frontal lobe.
Panel 3/ Further zoom in.
JUNE: Readings state she’d rather stay dead. That’s not going to happen. Those religious bigots were making a deadly mistake the first time around.
JUNE: She’s an Ultimate Weapon. A rare breed.
JUNE: Mutantkind has always been a commodity. In a world where children from the age of 3 are forced to work past 30 hours a week in order to sustain themselves, quite a lot of things are possible.
Panel 4/ Scene change. Cut to Noriko, in her pyjamas, in her bedroom. Seated on the side of her bed. Wardrobe’s open with some of her clothes, leaning out. She’s on the phone. Her gauntlets aren’t on.
CPT: Noriko Ashida. Surge.
JUNE: You saw the report, a new generation dawns. A generation that’s ripe for the plucking.
FROM THE PHONE: --And the rest of them went back to the school, I think to talk about our next move.
NORIKO: So you’re coming with us?
FROM THE PHONE: Well…I think I can multi-task between my real life and my new-found super-hero life. Back at Al’s Diner, there was a freaking surprise party.
FROM THE PHONE: For me. Sofia Mantega. The resident Hispanic waitress.
Panel 5/ “Camera” focus on a glass-framed picture. Taken a couple of years ago. Showing Noriko, Sofia, Laurie, David, Josh and Jay. All are smiling.
SOFIA: I didn’t imagine we’d receive so much positive feedback. Considering our position in the world. But that’s clearly changing.
SOFIA: Anyways, the Natives are getting restless and these orders won’t serve themselves. It’s so good to be back, Nori.
Page 9/
Panel 1/ Noriko looks over towards her gauntlets.
SOFIA: And I’ll come see you guys as soon as I’m done. We need to catch up, on just about everything.
Panel 2/ Noriko looks a little uneasy.
NORIKO: (You’re telling me).
NORIKO: Right. Take your time.
SOFIA: And before I forget, have you seen them?
NORIKO: Whom?
SOFIA: You mean David hasn’t told you? Where are you anyways?
NORIKO: Sofia, just spill. David hasn’t told me what?
Panel 3/ Noriko looks forward in shock.
SOFIA: Well you’re in for a reunion. Laurie and Josh-
Panel 4/ Noriko drops the phone to the ground and runs off. “Camera” focus on the phone.
SOFIA: -They’re back, too.
SOFIA: …
SOFIA: Hello? Nori? Noriko?
SOFIA: Hola?
Panel 5/ Scene change. Cut to a drive way. Utopia can be seen on the horizon. A woman seemingly of Native American descent is riding a motorbike. Helmet on, the two plaits from her hair ride the wind as she rides on.
CPT: Dani Moonstar. Valkyrie. Member of the Defenders.
SFX:* VROOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
DWOP: Being a Valkyrie, I’ve got a connection to death. The ability to sense a fallen bond…and to know when they’ve “returned”.
Page 10/
Panel 1/ Flashback. A few years ago. It’s a funeral. Dani’s clothed in black. She’s holding a yellow orchid in her right hand. Standing before a grave stone that reads “In loving memory of Laurie Collins. Our guardian angel. April 21st 1989 – June 1st 2006.”
DWOP: Laurie Collins. A member of the New Mutants squad of which I was their mentor, and I loved them more than they knew.
DWOP: I suppose you could say it was selfish of me to leave, but I had no choice. I was forced out.
Panel 2/ Scene change. Side view. Emma’s still inside her office. Now standing up, holding an empty cup. Looking towards Utopia’s beach. She’s a got a stern expression.
DWOP: But I regret not being there for them. I regret leaving them to pick up the pieces so I could mourn for my own personal indignance.
Panel 3/ “Camera” focus on Emma. She smirks, knowing something.
DWOP: I was supposed to be Josh’s legal guardian. And I let him down. Never once did I try to find him…
DWOP: …Not until today.
DANI: (Emma!)
EMMA: (Danielle, what a pleasant surprise. Managed to take some time off Defending with the world’s lesser branch of female protectors I see?)
DANI: (Emma...Is it true?)
EMMA: (Could you elaborate?)
Panel 4/ She reaches the end of the road, being that what separates her from Utopia is a the ocean. She looks off into the distance.
DANI: (Cut the crap, Frost. You damn well know what I’m talking about. Laurie Collins and Joshua Foley. The two of them.)
EMMA: (Ah, yes. You were their mentor and mother of course. Though you’re a bit late.)
DANI: What do you mean?
Panel 5/ “Camera” focus on Emma.
EMMA: (I advise you to come over here yourself and find out.)
DANI: Emma, wait…
DWOP: I’ve got this connection to death. It’s innate. A spiritual connection of reciprocal response. With that comes the burden to see the face of death over those he soon wants to rightfully claim.
Page 11/
Panel 1/ Splash. Dani staggers. A gigantic, eldritch demon holding a scythe, clothed in a crimson purple, covering the darkness within it, hovers over Utopia. Looking directly at Dani.
DANI: NO!
DANI: GREAT SPIRIT HAVE MERCY--NO!
To be continued...
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